H.—No. 7.

28

REPORT OE THE PRIVILEGES COMMITTEE.

Wednesday, 16th October, 1872. Mr. Travers addressed the Committee on behalf of Mr. Holt. In doing so he called their attention to two copies of the Daily Southern Cross, dated respectively 4th and sth October last. Under the title " Parliament News," he said there appeared —under the somewhat sensational heading, " Extraordinary offers by Mr. Brogden. The Stafford Government necessary to Mr. Brogden's schemes. Questionable proposals to a Member of the House " —the following article : —" Wellington, Thursday, 3 p.m. —It is rumoured that extraordinary revelations respecting offers on Mr. Brogden's part to a Member of the House will be made to-day. 8 p.m. —Mr. Harrison, M.G.A., has sent a letter to the Speaker, stating that Mr. Holt, private secretary to Mr. Brogden, desired to arrange with him, on behalf of Mr. Brogden, to assist in securing the impress of the Colony to Mr. Brogden's Gold Fields Waterworks Scheme, which proposed to obtain capital from the Home country towards the expenses to be incurred. The letter says further, that in the course of the negotiations Mr. Holt informed Mr. Harrison, that if he received remuneration he would be expected to support Mr. Brogden in the House, and also to use his influence with Mr. Vogel to prevent him from bringing on any motion that would involve the defeat of tho Government, as it was for Messrs. Brogden and Company's interest that the Stafford Government should remain in office for at least the current year. The Speaker is now narrating the facts to the House." He (Mr. Travers) also quoted from the paper of the sth, as follows : —" Extraordinary Eevelations. Mr. Brogden's attempt to influence Members of the House. The Speaker read a letter from Mr. Harrison, M.G.A. (editor of the Wellington Independent), stating that on Monday last Mr. Holt, Mr. Brogden's private secretary, had interviewed him, and offered, on behalf of the firm, to enter into an arrangement for the use of Mr. Harrison's services as a journalist in furthering, through the Press of the Colony, certain undertakings contemplated by the firm, particularly for water supply of the Gold Pields and the construction of railways by a Company. He (Mr. Harrison) was willing to enter into an arrangement, but Mr. Holt then added as a condition, that he should, as a Member of the House of Eepresentatives, use his influence to forward the interests of the firm ; and, while not committing the Independent to support the present Government or vote for the Government himself, he should use his interest to prevent Mr. Vogel from bringing down any motion likely to involve the defeat of the Government. The whole tenor of the proposal was, that the receipt of remuneration from Mr. Brogden would involve his services as a Member of the House. The interview had commenced by his giving Mr. Holt a pledge of secrecy ; but on this dishonorable proposal being made, he felt it to be his duty to consult the Speaker as to what he should do. The Speaker advised him that when two men voluntarily entered into secrecy it rested on the basis that the communication was honorable 1 o both parties; and if one proposed anything disgraceful or dishonorable, the other was fully justified in considering the pledge of secrecy at an end. He also advised him that his clear duty was to bring the matter before the House." He (Mr. Travers) also called attention to an item of " Shipping News," published in the paper of the 4th October, in which it was stated that " The mail steamer ' Nebraska ' will take her departure this morning with the English Mail, having been delayed waiting the arrival of the English steamer." It would thus be seen that the papers containing these remarkable and sensational statements would go home as part of the ordinary mail, and in all probability this account of the transaction would come under the notice of Mr. Brogden's firm at home. In the course of the remarks he intended to make, it would be necessary for him to call their attention. to the papers now before them as part of these proceedings. The inquiry they were directed to make was into certain allegations charging Mr. Holt with having been guilty of a gross breach of the privileges of the House, in the shape of an attempt to influence the conduct of an honorable Member of the House in a manner entirely opposed to propriety and public policy. They would observe, from the evidence adduced, that the proposal alleged to have been submitted to Mr. Harrison was narrated by him to several persons. It would appear, however, that a somewhat different version of what that proposal was, had been given to each of these parties. Mr. Tribe was the first person connected with the matter. Mr. Tribe had told them in his evidence that Mr. Harrison had stated to him, in a general way, that some propositions of an improper character had been made, but he does not state what the exact nature of these propositions were. The next person to whom Mr. Harrison appears to have confided the matter was the Hon. the Colonial Treasurer. The Colonial Treasurer, however, does not state the character of the communication made to him by Mr. Harrison. In the evidence he gave, he does state that he understood that an attempt was made unduly to influence Mr. Harrison's conduct, but the particular language made use of is not mentioned. After seeing Mr. Vogel, it would appear that Mr. Harrison communicated on the subject with the Hon. the Speaker. It will be seen by the evidence, that the Speaker gave a detailed and specific account of the language in which Mr. Harrison made the communication to him. To this detailed account it would be his (Mr. Travers) duty to call the special attention of the Committee. The next statement of the matter appears in a letter addressed by Mr. Harrison to the Speaker, in consequence of advice tendered to him by the Speaker, which letter was read to the House of Eepresentatives, and formed, in point of fact, the basis of this inquiry. The next statement is the statement made by Mr. Harrison on oath before this Committee. It would be his duty to call attention to each of these three statements, in order to show that the written ones varied considerably from that tendered on oath. In fact, the statement in the letter as read in the House of Eepresentatives varied so very considerably from the others as to throw discredit upon the whole thing. The statement given in evidence by the Speaker was given with very great precision. At page 11 of the printed evidence, Mr. Bell is reported to have said —" That, after some conversation on the subject of the proposal for employing his professional services as editor of the paper, he (Mr. Harrison) said to Mr. Holt, 'I suppose then there is nothing more?' Whereupon Mr. Holt said to him, 'That it must be understood he was to give his vote in the House in such a way as was necessary for Mr. Brogden's interests,' and that Mr. Harrison then stated that he immediately said, ' Then I have been entrapped here under false pretences.' " It would be in the recollection of the Committee that the Hon. the Speaker was crossexamined very closely by Mr. Harrison, more particularly as regards the latter part of that statement, but the Speaker, whose special attention was directed to this matter, stated that his recollection

Mr. Travers.

16th Oct., 1872,